THE RING
by mollietaz
Summary: When something precious is stolen guess who gets the blame  Guilty or not.


-1Angel had enjoyed Christmas more than she ever thought she would. She had expected to be alone with nothing but painful memories to keep her company and instead had found a brother she had thought she had lost forever and what looked like the makings of a completely new family .With no missions for the foreseeable future the guys relaxed a little more every day and had enjoyed good food and each others company for the last few days and with the New Year rapidly approaching she saw and felt the tension easing from them all a little more each day .

Most of her time had been spent with Craig .They had taken long walks in the mansion grounds ,needing time together away from the others. They had talked a lot about what had happened to each of them over the last few months. There had been changes in both their lives , his mainly having the guys constantly in his life now, and her with her house full of soldiers most of the time .He said that he could at least be sure now that he wasn't going crazy, for he now knew that it had been her in hospital with him and not just his imagination .She smiled and told him he should never doubt that from now on she would always be there when he needed her . He watched as a look of sadness crossed her face and when he asked her why she told him that they could have been together so much sooner if only they had talked to each other and not been so afraid of what the other one would do or say. She made him promise that from now on they would keep no secrets from each other and would trust each other with anything that was bothering them, and always know that no-matter what they would stay together because the love that they shared was stronger now because of what they had both been through the last few months. They had a bond now that no-one could break.

As they headed back towards the mansion she told him that she would probably go home for the next couple of days and come back for the New Years Eve party that the guys had invited her to. Her told her she was lucky to be able to get away from the mayhem, as he was stuck here with them and they were on the verge of getting bored so there was no telling what they would get up to. He said it would be nice to have somewhere to run sometimes when they were driving him crazy and spoiling for a fight. She told and he was always welcome to come for any peace and quiet he could find at the cottage considering it was usually full of soldiers who on the whole were as noisy and restless as the guys he had here . They laughed and he said she was probably right but that he might just turn up anyway just for a change of scenery . He said that between the two of them Mary and her were doing a great job with the half way house , so long as they didn't do too much and the work wasn't to taxing for them both. She told him they were loving it and it was so much easier than having to travel to London all the time to help Peter at the hospital, but they were thinking that it might be easier to run the halfway house from Mary's farmhouse now that Bill was available to help them . They could deal with more patients from there and if would make things easier for Mary if she could stay at home and take care of things rather than having to came to Angels cottage every day, after all Mary wasn't getting any younger and the trek in all the cold weather backwards and forwards wasn't helping her health at all, it would be a lot easier if she did the travelling and Mary stayed at home . It would then mean the cottage would be empty for most of the time so if he wanted to he could turn one of the rooms downstairs into a study and have the peace and quiet he was looking for he would be more than welcome to do so, and he would still be near enough to the mansion to get there in a hurry if he needed to.. He said it was a great idea and the move made sense for all concerned, and he would love to spend more time at the cottage with her as it gave him the time he needed to unwind after a mission and somewhere to look forward to coming home too.

She asked him if he would like to come back with her and leave the guys with the sergeant major for a couple of days He said he really shouldn't do that then smiled and said oh what the hell and said he'd just leave the Sgt her number in case they got too out of hand and that he would meet her at the front door in a few minutes . While he was gone she went upstairs to see what the guys were up to and ask them a favour. She told them she was going back to the cottage and taking Craig with her so they could spend some time together and that she would appreciate it if they would stay out of trouble and let them have the time they needed . Casino asked her what was in it for them if they did as she asked , and when she told them she would give them a home cooked meal if they behaved Casino and Goniff both agreed at once that they could manage to behave if food was involved. Anyway they didn't mind being left alone with the Sgt Major as they were sure they could find at least one way to torment him before the day was out. As Craig came in to tell them what was happening they smiled at him and told him not to worry and that they would be on their best behaviour until he came back .He hoped he didn't look as worried as he felt.

They got back to the cottage and she made coffee for them while Craig lit the fire. It didn't take the room long to warm up and soon they were both lounging in front of a roaring fire and enjoying each others company. She asked him if it was really as bad as he made out at the mansion? He said that when Casino was in full flow and itching for a fight she could not imagine the chaos he could cause, or the fights that were started for no other reason than they wanted a good brawl. In the rare times when he didn't have paperwork to do he could deal with them with no problem but when he was trying to concentrate on finishing a report for H.Q. or trying to get through the mountain of paperwork that came with running the mansion there were times when he could easily throttle the lot of them. She realized then just how difficult a job he had to do ,not only making sure that the mansion was running smoothly but that the missions they were given were executed to the best of the cons ability and in such a way that he could get them all back safely. She realized that he needed somewhere that he could retreat to , to get away from them ,and the mansion . He needed a place to call his own, where he could spend a few quiet hours alone recharging his batteries without having to worry about anyone disturbing him. It would be nice to have him around more , she had missed him the last months, and even with all the activity the patients had brought into the house it was not the same as having him to talk to and share a meal with . Just to sit and talk about David and Sarah with someone who knew and loved them as much as she did would be a wonderful thing and something she would look forward too

very much . They sat after their evening meals and he told her about the guys , told her what they had all been put in prison for and how now the were beginning to trust each other they were turning into one of the best fighting units the army had. She soon came to realize that not only did he trust these men but that he had a grudging respect for them and actually liked them, no-matter how crazy they drove him sometimes . It was good to see that he had chosen the right men for the job for she knew that this could have gone wrong so very easily and he could be lying dead somewhere with one of their bullets in his back if just one of them had decided to run. She knew now that this wouldn't happen because she could tell that they had a great respect for Craig and knew from experience that they would bring him home if he were injured just as he would do for them. He told her about their families and it was just as she had surmised Actor and Chief were alone and Goniff had a mother and an aunt in the States. Casino it seemed had the largest family of them all and a mother who seemed to have adopted all of them including Craig when it came to presents and letters from home. When ever a parcel arrived for Casino it always had a letter and something in it for each of them , as she didn't want anyone of them to feel left out. If they were taking care of her son then that meant they were as good as family to her, and she wanted them to know that she was grateful for the care they gave him. This was a cause of constant amusement to the rest of the guys , for where his mother was concerned Casino was still her little boy and she was going to do all that she could to help him get through the war and if that meant food parcels so she was sure he wasn't going hungry then so be it. They ribbed Casino constantly about his over protective mother but were always first in line when one of her packages arrived just to see what she had sent for them. For all their teasing it was nice to know that some-one thought enough about them to do something so simple as sit down and write to them. Angel laughed at him and said she didn't think he really needed a care package . He became serious and told her that during the last months he had waited just as eagerly for the letters that Casinos mother had sent him, as he had missed the letters that she used to write to him every week, and that they were the only thing that had let him know that he was wanted and loved by his family. He told her that without the knowledge that someone cared that you were coming home the war was a very lonely place to be. She told him she was so sorry for letting him down , for leaving him to face everything alone and that it was at least now something that he would never have to worry about again, for now she would be in his life constantly and he would never need to feel alone again. He hugged her and told her how special she was to him, and how much he had missed having them both to come home to , how much he needed and wanted to be a part of her life from now on ,just as he had before. She told him that she loved him and that now they had to put the past behind them and think about the future .they needed to be close to each other and to know that neither one of them would ever be alone again. He promised her that they would stay together and spend as much time as either of them needed getting over the past few months . She knew that there would be bad days when the grief and loss would hit them both hard probably for no apparent reason . But he told her he was always only a phone call away , and now at least they were not on their own . She had Mary and Peter if she needed them and as unlikely as it seemed the guys helped him on the bad days even though they didn't know they were doing it. They had never asked about the relationship between the two of them , but he was sure that the curiosity was killing them and he would eventually have to explain to them about David and Sarah. , but for now it was something that was just between himself and Angel. He smiled to himself as he realized that now he too called her Angel and not Catherine as he always used to. The nickname had stuck just as his had with him . He asked her if she minded him calling her that and she said she was more used to Angel now than Catherine anyway , but it was his choice as she would answer to both. He said he would stick with Angel as it suited her ,and that she was his Angel . The one truly good thing he had left in his life that mattered and the only person he completely trusted . She held him close and told him that she felt the same way , that he was the one gift she had been left with that was worth anything to her , that he was so very special and she loved him so much. In that moment they both knew that the war was the only thing that would ever part them again. She just had to believe that with the help of his men he could get through it in one piece and come home to her when it was over, it was something that she hoped for all of them.

The guys seemed to get on really well with her , if Chief was willing to forgive her after she had yelled at him then they figured she must be o.k. Chief was not one to forgive easily and if you let him down it took a long time for him to trust again. If he was willing to accept her apology straight away as he had done then he must value her friendship very much, and they had also worked out that being able to go to her cottage when they wanted to as Chief did wouldn't be such a bad thing either . Anything to relieve the boredom of the mansion was all right with them. Even if they had to the odd chore now and them , with the good chance of getting a home cooked meal thrown in for their trouble it was definitely worth while. On the whole they decided that having Angel as a friend had a lot going for it if they played their cards right.

The New Years Eve party was a great success. They had invited some of the villagers that they had come to know as a thank you for putting up with the chaos they sometimes caused and every one had a good time as the drink flowed freely and there was enough food on the buffet table to feed an army. It was good to hear laughter floating through the mansion and as the clock struck twelve they raised their glasses and toasted in the New Year and hoped that by the same time next year they would all be home spending time with the ones they loved . It was well past one o'clock when the party finally came to an end with everyone deciding to go home and give the guys a chance to clear up before they turned in. Some of the guests had offered to help but Craig said he wouldn't hear of it . He told them that it was their party and with it came the responsibility of clearing up the mess they had made. He did give in a little saying they could leave it until later that morning if they wanted to , but said there would be no lunch until the place was spotless again There were groans all round but he knew that when he looked in later that all the work would have been done despite all the protests. He knew that they still had a few days before the missions started again , but he had been told to report to London in two days which usually meant that a mission was on the cards, still they had had Christmas and New Year and that was more leave than most of the soldiers had been given so at least they should be grateful for that , but somehow he doubted it.

It was the end of January and Angel had not seen a lot of Craig or the guys as they had been on a couple of missions since New Year . They had both been successful and no-one had been hurt so this at least she could be thankful for. When he was at the mansion Craig called her every day to make sure she was all right, and as much as she said she was, and he didn't need to keep doing this , he called anyway. They had moved the halfway house to Mary's and now had twice the soldiers to take care of, but with Bill helping they were finding the work easier than when the two if them were managing in their own .Mary was finding things a lot easier now that she didn't have to bike to Angels every day and if Angel couldn't get there anytime there was still two of them to do the work, so all in all it was a far better solution than the cottage.

She had invited them for lunch the following Sunday as Goniff kept reminding her she still owed them from Christmas. Craig said they could go so long as they behaved themselves. They all put on a very pained expression and told him they didn't know what he was talking about as they were always on their best behaviour when they were out. Angel said if they weren't it would be the last time they were invited out so they should consider themselves warned. Chief saw the smile that passed between her and the Warden and knew that a little misbehaviour would not only be allowed but would be expected.

He had wanted to keep Angel to himself a little while longer, for her to be his secret. He had enjoyed the quiet times they had spent together but he had not had the time since Christmas to talk her alone. She had always been with the Warden or with the other guys. He wondered that now she had the Warden for company whether she missed the time they had spent together as he did. He did not say anything to her for fear of sounding foolish, after all it seemed very stupid to be jealous just because she had found new friends to talk to , it was good that the guys liked her , and she liked them enough to ask them all to lunch. She could after all have whoever she wanted in her house. All he knew was that it had felt good to have a special friend that he could talk to about anything. It was something that he had never had before he had met Angel and he missed the closeness they had had during the summer months when the other guys and the Warden hadn't known about her He like the others were curious about the relationship between her and the Warden , but it was not something that they felt they could ask either one of them about. They had asked the Warden if he had known Angel before and he had just said yes and walked out of the room leaving them more curious than they had been before. No-one that they had asked seemed to know anything and when they has asked Mary she had just said it was not her place to say and that they should ask Angel and she would tell them what she wanted them to know. The unanswered questions were driving them all mad and they were going to try this Sunday to find out some of the answers .

Something had happened between the two of them of that they were all sure and if they couldn't con her into parting with some answers then they didn't deserve the reputation they had for being the best conmen in the business.

Craig had told her he would skip lunch if she didn't mind ,and take the chance to get the paperwork finished that he had got a little behind with. He said he would come later that afternoon when they had come back to the mansion to spend the evening with her if she didn't have any other plans. She told him she would like that very much even if the paperwork was a lame excuse for getting some time alone. He told her she knew him far too well and although the quiet was going to be a nice change he really did have work to catch up on. She told him to arrive whenever he was ready as she had nothing planned for the rest of the day and would try and keep them occupied for him as long as possible.

They arrived on her doorstep a good hour before she had told them too , saying that they were bored as the Warden wanted peace and quiet and had thrown them out She told them that there were beers in the kitchen and cards in the front room and to entertain themselves while she finished cooking the dinner . She had made them chicken casserole which was cooking nicely and would be about another hour and was in the middle of making apple pie for desert, and that she hoped that was to everyone's liking. Goniff said his stomach was rumbling already and Casino said he hoped she realized how much Goniff could eat and had cooked accordingly. This brought on the usual remarks about Goniff having hollow legs with him defending himself, saying he couldn't help it if he liked his food. They seemed to be keeping themselves entertained so she went back to her chores in the kitchen. , She was washing up the few pots she had used to try and keep the kitchen clear for later and was about to ask them if they would like a coffee when she noticed Chief standing in the doorway. She said if he had nothing better to do than watch her work he could do the drying up and put the things away if he wanted to. She had thought he had been a little quiet since they had arrived not joining in the banter with the others. She hoped that he was all right; she realized that she hadn't spoken to him much lately and hoped that they could get some time together later when she might just find out what was bothering him. He did as she had asked and he was very subdued as she made the coffee and took it into the other room for them and then had them lift the table away from the wall and put the chairs round it so they could get it ready for lunch .She told them where they could find everything they needed and left them setting the table and told them they had ten minutes before lunch was ready if they wanted to wash up.

When she heard the door open it came as no surprise to find Craig had changed his mind and decided that her lunch was much more inviting than the sandwich he had planned to have , he confessed that he had felt a little guilty about leaving her to deal with all of them on her own and thought he should come and make sure they weren't being any bother , She told him they had all been perfect gentlemen and helped get the lunch ready and tidy up without any problems at all, No-one seemed surprised to see Craig they just said hi Warden and set him a place at the table. He offered to help her carry the lunch to the table , by which time there were glasses of wine on the table and beer for those who preferred it. As she watched them passing round the food and telling each other how good it looked and tasted she hoped that they would have many more meals like this, when they could all sit together as a family should and enjoy each others' company.

When the meal had finished they told her to go and sit down as they were going to do the clearing op and make the coffee as a thank you for the best lunch they had had in a long time. She thanked them and then went to sit by the fire. As the clearing up finished they all sat and listened to the radio until she said that she was going to go for a walk ' but they were more than welcome to sit and relax and digest their lunches if they wanted to. As they had just decided that a game of cards would be in order they said thanks and hoped she had a nice walk but they would take her up on her offer and take the Wardens money instead,. She said she would see them later and headed for the door. As she passed Chief she asked him if he was sure that he wouldn't like to come with her as she knew how much he hated being cooped up indoors. He said he would come if she wanted him to if it was all right with the Warden. Craig said it was all right with him as it had started to snow and the last thing he wanted to do was be outside in that. She said she had never known any-one who hated snow as much as he did and that there must be something wrong with him. He smiled at her then stuck out his tongue and told her not to get lost in the blizzard they were sure to get caught in if they didn't hurry' She said that was impossible with Chief with her, patted him on the head and told him not to lose too much money, and turned quickly before he could catch her and went out the door with a cheery see you later.

The three cons looked at him astonished that he was so chilled out , They had never seen him play the fool like this here he was teasing Angel and taking all that she threw at him and laughing at her There was definitely more too this than they at first thought . The two of them must have a very special relationship for him to behave like this , and it infuriated them that they were no nearer finding out what it was.

As they walked in the lightly falling snow Angel linked her arm through

Chiefs and asked him he had the same aversion to snow as Craig had or if he liked it. He told her he loved the snow and would sit and watch it covering the ground and find a peace that he couldn't explain to her . She said she knew what he meant it was very calming just sitting and watching the snow falling , but she really enjoyed just walking and getting covered in it so long as she had somewhere warm to dry off .She stopped and looked at him and asked him if he would tell her what was the matter as it was obvious that something was bothering him. He said that he was all right and she didn't have to worry about him but could not look into her face as he said it. She asked him if she had done something to upset him as he had stopped coming to the cottage as he used to ,she said she had looked forward to his visits and the time they spent together, had enjoyed the walks they took and the fact that she had someone to talk to . He said he didn't think that she wanted to be bothered with now that she had the Warden to talk to, didn't see why she would miss his company. She looked at him and held both his hands in hers and told him that theirs was a special friendship and no-matter how many new friends she found his was a friendship she valued above all others, as he had been there when she had needed a friend the most and had never let her down. She told him she had missed him coming to the cottage as there were times she would have liked to talk about things that she couldn't talk about as easily with the others not even Craig. He looked in her eyes and knew she was telling him the truth, and that their friendship did mean as much to her as it did to him. He said he hadn't realized that, but that from now on he would come round more often if she really wanted him to. She held his hand as they started to walk back to the cottage and told him that he would be welcome to come round whenever he wanted to and he never needed to ask if she would be glad to see him, for the answer would always be yes. He realized that all his doubts and fears had been groundless, and knew then that their friendship would last a long time and only get stronger with time. It felt good to know that she was back in his life and for the first time he felt that no-matter what he would always have someone to turn to if he was in trouble and who would help without question. It was a good feeling and one that he hoped would last for a long time.

Craig was not having such a good time .Casino had won every game so far and he still couldn't see how he was cheating. But he was sure he was. In the end Casino took pity on him and showed him some of the tricks of the trade, but even when slowed down Craig could hardly see what Casino was doing. When he mentioned this he was told that that was why Casino had the reputation for being good at what he did no-one else had ever actually caught him either. They laughed it off and he said he couldn't possibly take the Wardens money and that he should consider it a free lesson and never seriously play cards with him again. Craig said he might be a little silly sometimes but that he definitely wasn't stupid enough to play him for real until he knew exactly how he was cheating and could prove it. They were still laughing when Angel and Chief came back and as they looked cold Craig offered to make some coffee for them and told them to sit by the fire and keep warm. This they did and after having the coffee and letting Goniff finish off the apple pie Craig decided that it would be a good idea for them to go home before they wore out their welcome. There were groans and` oh Wardens` from Goniff and Casino but Craig was adamant and said if they were lucky they might even get invited round again. They looked at Angel and she told them they could come whenever they wanted to so long as they let her know when they were coming so she would sure to be there. . She winked at Chief and knew that he understood that his invitation was different and that he did not need to call her and could just turn up any time. That his invitation was special and something that the others need not know about, it was a secret that they would keep just between the two of them. They said goodbye and thanked her for the meal and said they hoped it wouldn't be too long before they could come again. She said they were welcome and she hoped too that they could do this again before too long as she had enjoyed their company too and it was nice to have someone to cook for again As they drove away they were smiling and waving to her and she knew that she had started something new and that it wouldn't be long before the first phone call came asking her if they could come round for coffee. She had a feeling that they regarded her cottage as their second home and she found she didn't mind this one little bit. She doubted there would ever be a peaceful moment in her life again while they were around. Getting to know them might prove to be very entertaining .One thing was sure it was never going to be dull.

Angel was near on despair. She had looked everywhere for her ring . She knew that she had taken it off to make the apple pie and had put it where she always did in a dish on the windowsill ..But now it was gone and as much as she didn't want to, she knew that she had to ring Craig and tell him it was missing. She didn't want to think that one of them had taken it but she couldn't think of anywhere else it could be . She hoped against hope that she could be proved wrong.

She decided that she would go to the mansion and ask them face to face if they had taken the ring. It was not something that she was looking forward to doing but the ring was so very important to her and she knew that if any one of them had taken it , even as a joke , that she would never be able to forgive or trust them again.

Craig answered the phone and was surprised to hear the sentry at the gates asking permission to let Angel in . He had a gut feeling that something was wrong ,and just hoped that his men hadn't done anything that would jeopardize their relationship with either himself or Angel. As he met her at the door he knew that this wasn't the case and that something had upset her very much . She was on the verge of tears and as he took her into his office and sat her down he knew he really didn't want to know what they had done to cause this, because whatever it was had just put an end to an almost perfect day.

As he listened to her he felt his anger bubbling up inside .How could Goniff had been so stupid as to take a ring he knew they would find missing so soon after they had left. He had ruled out Actor as the ring although beautiful to Angel really wasn't to his taste and most of the things he took were more elaborate. Chief he knew would not intentionally do anything to cause Angel any kind of pain as he valued their friendship to much, and that left Casino and Goniff and although they had been known to team up he really didn't think Casino would stoop this low knowing the upset it would cause. That left Goniff, and as he well knew Goniff loved anything that sparkled . He did not want to think that he would do this but sometimes Craig was sure that he just got a blind spot and pocketed something without thinking of the consequences or that he might get caught and punished .Craig told her he was so sorry for the hurt they had caused her and that he would make sure that they stayed away from her in future as it was obvious they couldn't be trusted.

He stormed into the room without knocking and went straight to Goniff and held out his hand and told him to give the ring back now .Goniff looked stunned , he had never seen the Warden quite this mad and was thankful that he hadn't done anything to cause this anger and pitied the person who had. He looked at Craig and said he didn't know what he was talking about as he hadn't taken anything from anyone, honest . Craig said if he had taken Angels ring this was the last chance he would have to give it back before he got the M.P.s in there to tear the room apart. At this they were all talking at once . Actor said that although he knew that Goniff loved to take anything he thought his mother would like that he doubted that even he would steal from Angel. Craig never took his eyes from Goniff . Casino shouted that he had some nerve coming in and blaming them for something they hadn't done but that he should have known that even he would not believe them and just treat them like cons. Craig turned on him and said that was just what they were , just cons , who didn't deserve the trust he had given them , but from now on they needn't worry because if that was the way they were going to behave then that was the way he would treat them . Goniff just looked at Craig and swore that he had not even seen the ring and even if he had he would not have stolen it , even he wasn't that stupid . Craig was beginning to believe him even if it made no sense , but Casino never could leave well enough alone and went one step to far. He was angry that Goniff was getting the blame for something he was sure he hadn't done and in the need to protect his buddy from the Wardens temper he crossed the line. He said that maybe the ring was just lost and that Angel was just passing the buck and blaming them for stealing it so she didn't have to explain to her husband that she had lost it , probably while she was with him as they spent so much time together it was obvious they were doing something that her husband wouldn't want to know about. and that he needn't think he was the only one who had worked out that something was going on, the whole village was talking about the two of them, and the fact that he was always round at the cottage, and that the two of them spent nights together, no-one did that if they had nothing to hide. Craig saw red and in an instant all thoughts of the ring were forgotten and he had Casino by the throat and in that moment Casino knew he had gone to far and unless someone could get the Warden off him he was probably a dead man.

Angel heard the commotion and raced upstairs just in time to see Craig grab Casino by the throat and tell him he was a dead man. She ran towards them and tried to pull Craig away but he was totally zoned out and was not seeing or hearing anyone. Chief and Actor tried to loosen the grip he had on Casino's throat but this only made Craig hold on tighter. She took hold of his face with both her hands and turned his head to look at her yelling at him to stop before it was too late. He didn't hear her or even acknowledge her presence .She tried again , this time talking to him in all but a whisper , saying his name over and over again desperately trying to get him to fix his attention on her and away from Casino. Slowly she saw his eyes start to focus on her and a look of horror cross his face as he realized what he was doing. He let Casino go and he fell backwards ,hitting the floor and gasping for breath. Actor went to him, he had been lucky, the Warden had let go just in time. Actor was sure that if Angel had not been there Casino would surely be dead .Craig looked in a state of shock as the realization of what he had almost done hit him. He tried to speak but couldn't and let Angel lead him from the room and into his office. He didn't have the strength to fight her . She sat him down and poured him a brandy and just sat and watched him to make sure he was all right. When he had finished the brandy he looked at her and asked if Casino was all right .She said that as Actor hadn't been down to ask for any medical assistance that she assumed so. She asked what Casino had done to provoke such anger but he just lowered his head and didn't answer her. She told him she would go and check on Casino if he was sure that he would be all right. He just sat there and ignored her still shocked at what he had done. She left him sitting there and quietly closed the door , determined to find out from one of them what had caused the outburst she had just seen.

As she walked into the room she caught the end of a conversation. Goniff was telling Casino that he had crossed the line and shouldn't have said what he did. She stepped into the room and asked exactly what had been said that had caused Craig to lose his temper. At first they were all very quiet . She said she wasn't going to leave until she got some answers and starred at them all in turn . They each lowered their heads as she looked at them ,but she wasn't going to give in .She turned back to Goniff and said his name. He started to defend Casino telling her that he had lost his temper when the Warden had accused them of taking the ring, He said that Casino had said some things that had upset the Warden. She starred at them both and said upset wasn't the word she would have used to describe the way Craig was feeling right now, and that some one had better tell her exactly what had been said before she lost her temper as well.

Goniff slowly told her what Casino had said, and when he had finished they all knew just how angry she was. She couldn't believe what she was hearing .They thought she was having an affair with Craig . Now she understood the anger and why he had wanted to kill Casino .She hoped that he knew just how lucky he had been that Craig had let him go when he did .Casino was sitting with his head bowed. He knew he had crossed the line but didn't know what to do next. She asked him if he thought that it was just Craig she was having affairs with or anyone that came to the house. Asked him if Chief was on his list if suspects as he had spent a lot of time with her during the summer. She told Casino he was lucky to be alive, as it had been a long time since she had seen Craig loose his temper like that and that the only thing that had stopped him last time had been his brother. Casino was feeling thoroughly ashamed . She asked him if he had any idea of the hurt he had caused .she told him that he had no idea of what she had been through the last year, and that he didn't have the right to play judge and jury as to what she was or wasn't doing as it was none of his business. They heard the door slam downstairs and she realized she had been gone much longer than she should have. As she went to leave the room Chief told her that it was the Warden leaving , that it looked like he was going running. She knew from experience that he would run off the anger and frustration he was feeling , that it was one of the few things that worked for him. As she could do nothing to help Craig she decided to stay here and find out exactly what had gone on that afternoon , for if she didn't have the ring and Goniff swore he hadn't taken it them she was missing some vital piece of information.

She turned back towards them and wondered how such a good start to the day had ended in such a mess. She sat down next to Goniff and asked him to try and remember if anything odd had happened while she and Chief were out after lunch. He said that he had spilt his coffee all over the Warden and that he had to go upstairs to get changed , and of course there were the two guys with the parcel from Mary. He asked him what parcel and he said that maybe once they started playing cards again that they forgot to tell her about it. She asked if the two guys had been with them all the time and he said yes except for the few minutes it had taken for one of them to use the bathroom .She asked them how they could have been so stupid as to forget that and said she couldn't imagine why Craig hadn't said anything. Goniff said that he didn't see them as they came while he was upstairs changing into dry clothes and they supposed as it wasn't important they never thought to tell him. Angel asked Goniff if he would recognise the guys again if he saw them and when he said yes ,she told Chief to go and get a jeep and the Sgt Major as they needed to take a trip to Mary's house.

Adam Robinson was feeling quite pleased with himself. Not only was he due to go home tomorrow but he had managed to collect quite a little treasure trove while he had been recuperating. Today had been his easiest find yet. He had offered to keep John company while he delivered some parcels for Mary, and in doing so had managed to collect a few more jewels for his collection. Some were better than others , but he had managed to get a nice ring just left ion a windowsill and there was the added bonus that the house was filled reformed convicts who were sure to take the blame long enough for him to be long gone before they were found to be innocent. Things couldn't have worked out better if he had planned them. He was surprised to see visitors as not many people called on them with most of their families in the States. Even more surprised when the man walked over to one door as the woman stayed at the other , effectively blocking access to the room .He starred at the blonde man and knew he had seen him before ,and he was so busy watching Goniff that he didn't see Angel walk up behind him, didn't notice her until she grabbed his hair and out a knife to his throat and asked him where her ring was. He said he didn't know what she was talking about. She pressed the knife a little deeper into his throat and told him she would give him one last chance to come clean. He tried to look confused hoping to bluff his way out , unless they could find the rings they couldn't prove anything. He felt a wetness on his throat and realized that she had drawn blood. He has hoped that some of the others would intervene for him but they just stood and looked on never offering to help him. They all liked Angel and Mary and if he had taken anything from either of them they would pay him back for the hurt he had caused them. The had been searching his room while Angel and Chief kept him busy , he came through the door behind Chief and dropped an assortment of watches and rings onto the table. Adam knew that there was no getting away from the evidence on the table. He had been caught red handed and knew that all his hopes of returning to the States had gone. Angel asked him once more what he had done with her ring. He looked at the bandage that covered the stitches on his arm and gently pulled out the ring from between the folds. She took it and slipped it on her finger .Chief grabbed Adam's hand and slipped his knife through the bandages to see what else Adam had hidden there. There was another clink as a ring hit the table and they heard Mary gasp as she recognised it as one that her mother had given her many years ago., The Sgt Major grabbed Adam none too gently and said he would deliver him to the brig if they were ready to go back to the mansion.

When they got back she went to Craig's office to wait for him . She knew he wouldn't be back yet , that the run would be a long one this time. She heard the clock strike eight , he had been gone for two hours, she hoped he wouldn't be much longer as she really needed to talk to him. She heard the guys talking upstairs so she assumed that they had forgiven Casino a little . All she had to do now was to get Craig and Casino talking , sooner rather than later if she could, for she knew that the longer they left it the harder it would be to settle their differences . She wasn't quite sure how she was going to achieve this yet , but she knew she had to try,

Angel heard the mansion door close at ten fifteen and Craig walked into his office a few moments late looking very bedraggled , He said nothing and drew away from her as she went to hug him, saying he was filthy and needed to get cleaned up. He was obviously not ready to talk about what had happened and she didn't want to push him. She told him she would make some coffee and sandwiches and that would give him time to take a shower and get a change of clothes. He said o.k. and walked into the bathroom not even glancing in her direction as he left.

She gave him twenty minutes to get himself organized and then took in the coffee. He was sitting at his desk and as she put the coffee down he grabbed her hand and looked at the ring on her finger. She said she would tell him everything while he had the snack she had brought for him . He hadn't realised that he was hungry until he took a bite of the sandwich and then ate all she had provided as he listened to the events of earlier that evening. When she had finished he just looked at her and said `If only they had told me someone else had been there all of this could have been avoided . Why didn't they say something?.` She told him that they hadn't thought it was important enough to mention, and when they had started to play cards again all of it had been forgotten, they hadn't even told her about the parcel until this evening. He looked at her sadly and said` I could have killed him Angel I, wanted to kill him for what he said about you`. She said she knew that and was grateful that he cared so much about her , but in the end they both knew the truth and that was all that mattered to her. He asked if Casino was all right and she said he was fine , that he knew he has crossed the line and had said too much and as usual his mouth had gotten him into trouble. She told him Chief had told him that if he ever heard him bad mouthing her again he would feel the need to take him outside and give lesson in manners and they both knew that was something even Casino would want to avoid , if he had any sense.

He said he was glad that Casino was all right but wasn't sure where this left them now. She said things might look different in the morning and told him too get some sleep. She told him she would curl up on the couch in the library and that she would see him at breakfast. She kissed on the cheek and said goodnight and left him sitting at his desk. She doubted very much that he would get much sleep at all , or would even try. As she settled down on the couch she wondered what to do to try and make things right again between Craig and his men. She had no ideas as yet and knew that this was going to be tougher than she first thought, but she would do it no matter what of that she was sure , she just didn't know how yet.

Craig was up early and out for his morning run .Chief usually went with him but this morning she saw that he was alone again. He was back at his usual time and had breakfast in his office saying he had work to do . The guys had breakfast with her in the kitchen but said little and seemed to want to get finished as soon as possible and get back to their room. They had decided that this was the best place to be so they would not disturb him at all , not wanting him any more upset than they knew he already was. They had decided that it would be best for all concerned if they kept their heads down. Angel had gone home to shower and change and when she returned to the mansion she found every one exactly where she had left them and with no-one talking to anyone. She could have cut the atmosphere with a knife , and she decided that she had to do something before this got any worse than it was . She guessed all they needed was a push in the right direction for someone to start talking to each other again , it was just that no-one really knew where to start. She smiled to herself , maybe all they needed was a common enemy. She had a crazy idea that she hoped would work for all of them , after all how much worse could things get.

The sound of the gunshot rang through the silence of the mansion and Craig and the guys managed to get to the library at the same time She said that now she had there attention they could all come in and sit down. Casino said he had better things to do and turned to leave but jumped back sharply as the next bullet hit the floor a foot in front of him. He looked at her and decided that she might just be crazy enough to shoot him, if only by accident , and sat down as fast as he could. She told Craig to do the same and as he went to try and take the gun away from her she shot at the chair next to him, sending stuffing and material in all directions. He sat down just as Casino had wondering if she really had gone mad and hoping that she didn't manage to hurt herself or them before they had found out exactly what she wanted.

She looked at Casino . He lowered his head knowing what was coming. She smiled at him and told him that the next time he crossed the line as he had done yesterday she would personally arrange to have all his fingers broken and would keep doing this until he learned his lesson . She asked him if he understood and he mumbled `Yeah o.k.`. She slapped the back of his head and told him that she didn't believe him and he should try and work up a little more enthusiasm . She put her face next to his and yelled do you understand me at him. He snapped back a sharp yes ma'am as if he was on the parade ground . She nodded and said that was better. She then turned her attention to Craig .She said he had better learn to curb his temper as she was quite capable of looking after herself and that if there was ever a recurrence of the outburst of temper he had shown yesterday she would not try to reason with him but would just slug him and walk out of his life and never come back. As she had done with Casino she asked him if he understood and he snapped back yes ma'am and grinned at her..

She became serious with them and said that there was nothing she could do when they were away but worry about them .but that knowing that they watched each others backs and trusted each other made her feel more as ease and gave then a better chance or survival , and that was important to her. She said she had lost one family to this war and had no intention of losing another and if that meant that she had to break fingers and knock heads together then they had better believe she would do just that.

They all just looked at her and then a slow smile crept across Casino's face and he looked at the Warden . Might have overstepped the mark yesterday , he said , won't happen again o.k. Craig smiled back and looking at the bruising on Casino's neck said `Sorry about that , lost my temper a little`. Casino said he wouldn't like to see him when he lost his temper a lot if this was a little . Angel looked at them both and said she was going to make some coffee and that when she got back she had better see happy smiling faces from everyone , or else. Casino and Craig looked at each other and snapped a convincing Yes ma'am as she closed the door .

She stood quietly and listened and heard Casino ask if she was always like this when she got mad. Craig said this was nothing that they wouldn't want to be on her bad side when she was really angry. Goniff said they should have seen her with Adam , he had thought that for one minute she really was going to cut his throat. She smiled to herself as she headed for the kitchen . The ice had been broken so hopefully things would be better now. At least they were talking. As she took the coffee into the library they were all standing in a line in front of her with silly grins on their faces. She stood and looked at them until Goniff said she had told them to smile when she came back hadn't she. She smiled back and said `Now that wasn't so hard was it`?

She poured them all a coffee and as they sat down Goniff asked her if she had meant what she had said. She said yea she would have Casino's fingers broken next time. This brought a snigger from everyone but Casino , but Goniff said not that part , the part about them being a family. . She said that as far as she was concerned a family took care of each other , kept each other safe , and that she thought that they had the makings of a family right here but it still needed some work. Casino, she could tell was bursting to ask her something but was for some reason holding back. She said that a family should be able to talk to each other about anything and they should be able to sort things out between them. Casino said he would like to ask her something so long as the Warden promised to leave his throat alone. She said he could ask her anything and she would decide whether she would answer him. He said fair enough , and asked what was really going on between her and the Warden?. He said that if they knew it would make it easier for him to stay out of trouble , maybe.

Craig got up and put his coffee cup on the table and sat down next to Angel , she felt him take hold of her hand and saw him nod to her. She asked him if he was sure and he nodded again, he said Casino was right , a lot of things could have been avoided if they had known the truth. She turned to the guys and said all right I'll tell you a story . She felt Craig squeeze her hand and knew then that it would be all right. She would tell them what had happened during the past few months , let them know how hard it had been for both of the to overcome the loss and the grief they had both suffered , perhaps it would help if they understood what they had both been through , separately and together . She looked at the eager faces , and with one final look at Craig smiled and said ` Are you sitting comfortably?

Then we'll begin.


End file.
